How to go wine tasting

Never been wine tasting before? Don’t know what to wear? Relax! We’ve put together a few useful tips about what to expect. And please know that while the wine might be world class, you won’t find any snootiness here. Wine tasting is a no-pressure way to explore your wine horizons, as well as confirm the styles and wines that you already know you like. So get comfortable!

Never been wine tasting before? Don’t know what to wear? Relax! We’ve put together a few useful tips about what to expect. And please know that while the wine might be world class, you won’t find any snootiness here. Wine tasting is a no-pressure way to explore your wine horizons, as well as confirm the styles and wines that you already know you like. So get comfortable!

Tasting rooms in Willcox Wine Country are open to the public, so just come right in and make yourself at home. You’ll pay around $7 to $10 dollars for a tasting flight, and that usually includes the wine glass to take home (if you want to keep it). Bring that wine glass to the other tasting rooms and you will often receive a discount on the wine tasting charge. Or stock your cupboard with a very nice assortment of souvenir wine glasses. Tip: Bring something to stow the wine glasses where they won’t break in your car.

A tasting flight is typically 4 to 6 pours from the selection of wines available at the tasting room. Each pour is 1 ounce of wine, so keep in mind that you will be drinking the equivalent of about one glass of wine during the wine tasting.

It is very handy to have a designated driver, and regardless, you should limit yourself to a small number tasting rooms on a given day. Plan on spending from 30 minutes to an hour at each tasting room, and add travel time to plan your day. There are several hotels and B&Bs in the area, so if you can stay for a couple days, that allows you to visit more tasting rooms, and at a more leisurely pace.

Most tasting rooms are open from Thursday or Friday through Sunday, from about 11am to 5pm. Some tasting rooms are open on additional days, or even all week. Check the Wineries page where open hours are posted for all of the tasting rooms. If it’s a 3-day holiday weekend, most stay open on the Monday. Check tasting room websites and Facebook pages for extended hours around other holidays. Sign up for newsletters at your favorite wineries so you can keep up with what’s happening there.